Born of Dragons

Was she really going to do this? Nerves came as she waited, because while she’d killed before, she’d never done it in cold blood. Was she really going to cut down her sister’s husband, leave him for dead in the stables?

The answer to that was simple: if not her, then who? Oh, Lenore had spoken about her maidservant doing something, finding some piece of information that would convince people to be rid of Finnal more cleanly, but what were the chances of truly doing that? Even if they got information that might persuade most people, would Vars agree to the annulment of the marriage? He’d been the one pushing for it to happen quickly in the first place.

Maybe once their father woke up, but this was quicker, and cleaner, and… well, Finnal deserved it. No one threatened Erin’s sister.

She waited up there until she could hear voices below.

“…the largest bay,” Finnal said, somewhere below.

“But sir, that horse is the property of Prince Rodry.”

“And I wish to honor his memory by putting it into his sister’s service,” Finnal said. He came into view below, the top of his head visible in a wash of curls. “Remember that I am her husband, and that the lands I now own include… hmm, where did you say your family was from?”

The threat was there below the surface, and all of it just added to Erin’s anger. This man was cruel the moment he had power, a snake in a pretty covering. More than that, he was trying to steal from her dead brother now, as well as threatening her sister. Erin couldn’t let any of this stand.

“Perhaps if I went to talk to the master of stables,” the groom Finnal was talking to said.

“That seems like an excellent idea,” Finnal said. “I will be right here.”

The groom clearly hadn’t meant to do it then, but with Finnal waiting, he had no choice. There was only one advantage to it: it meant that Finnal was alone in the stables save for the horses, right in Erin’s line of sight. Erin took the sheath from her spear’s head, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. She could do this, she had to do this, for her sister.

The angle wasn’t quite right, so Erin shifted position on the roof, or tried to. She felt her foot give as it went through part of the roof’s thatch, and she had to fight to keep from gasping as she nearly fell. Only by digging her spear into the thatch was she able to keep her balance and prevent herself from tumbling through.

Erin crouched there out of sight for several seconds. She could hear footsteps up above on the wall, but she knew the guards wouldn’t be able to see her from there. She was more concerned about the possibility that she might have startled Finnal. Even so, when she finally dared to look back through the gap in the roof into the stables, he was still there, still looking over the horses as if trying to work out which of them he would claim next.

Erin hefted her spear, adjusting her grip, ready to throw. The spear was short, but from here, she had no doubt that she would be able to propel it right through Finnal’s heart. Erin took a breath, steadying her hand, feeling the tension there and—

And a hand closed over the haft of the spear, stopping her from flinging it.

“Killing him in broad daylight?” Odd whispered, with a disapproving shake of his head.

Erin spun to him. The former knight still wore the monk’s habit he had gained on the Isle of Leveros, his sword strapped across his back. She hadn’t expected him to move so quietly.

“He has to die,” Erin hissed back, but even as she glanced down through the gap, she saw that Finnal was moving out of her line of sight.

“And when you kill him, what then?” Odd asked. He still hadn’t let go of her weapon. “First, your spear would be sticking out of his chest. Princess or not, you can’t just kill the son of a duke with impunity. They’d hang you!”

“Even Vars wouldn’t have me hanged,” Erin said. “And to protect Lenore—”

“To protect your sister, you have to be there!” Odd snapped back. He shoved Erin away from him. “Not find yourself rotting in a dungeon, and not start a civil war that will kill all of us.”

“Killing that… that will end things, not start them,” Erin insisted.

“Not when half the nobles support him and his father,” Odd said. “It would show the kingdom the monarchy is trying to rule without advice or restraint. Do the sensible thing, Erin.”

“Because you know so much about that?” Erin snapped back. She looked from Odd to where the knights stood. “Do you think I don’t know who you are, and who you were? They didn’t call you Sir Oderick the Sensible!”

“No, they called me mad,” he said. In an instant, his sword had cleared its sheath. It flashed out, and Erin barely parried it in time with her spear. “They said I was a crazed thing. They said I was a monster.”

He struck again and again, forcing Erin back, one step, then another.

“You think your anger is everything there is? Well, I know about anger,” he said. He struck again, and now Erin was annoyed enough to lash out in return. She set her feet, and…

…except there was no “and,” because it turned out that Erin had run out of roof. She tumbled down, her spear spinning from her hand. For a moment, she was sure she would break bones on the cobbles below. Except that it seemed that Odd had not just steered her toward the edge of the roof, he’d pushed her off the one spot with a water butt below. Erin struck it with a splash, briefly submerging and coming up spluttering.

Odd was already down there, holding her spear out to her.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“I feel like I should stab you as well as him,” Erin said. She felt the weight of his gaze on her. “But… not yet. You’re right. I can’t just kill him, can I?”

Odd shook his head and tossed her spear to her. “We will have to find another way. For now, your sister is in a dangerous marriage, and she has fewer friends than she thought.”

“She has me,” Erin said, hauling herself out of the water.

“Us,” Odd corrected her.

Erin didn’t question that; she was simply grateful that a warrior this skilled was willing to help. Finnal had resources on his side, and position, and even Vars’s friendship. Set against that, all Erin had to help her keep her sister safe was one possibly mad ex-knight. Still, she would keep Lenore safe, even if it cost Erin her life.

CHAPTER SIX

Devin stood in Master Grey’s quarters, among the oddments that only a magus could collect, staring at a map of the kingdom while Master Grey pointed at spots on it.

“My research has identified places where fragments of the Unfinished Sword will sit,” he said. “A family tomb in the foothills of the far north, a shrine outside a village in the kingdom’s heartlands.” He pointed to another half dozen spots, one by one.

Devin tried to take it all in. “Why would anyone spread the fragments of a sword like this?”

“Because it is a weapon of power,” the sorcerer replied. “One too dangerous to be left in the hands of men in times of peace.”

“Have there been any times of peace recently?” Sir Twell the Planner asked from across the room. Sir Halfin the Swift stood beside him, the two knights of the Spur wearing half plate and chain, covered by cloaks, their shields plain rather than showing the insignia that would mark them out. Sir Twell had a bandaged wound from the battle, but still seemed to be moving well. Sir Halfin kept shifting his weight, as if eager to just move.

“The wars of men are not what I’m worried about,” Master Grey said.

“Then what are you worried about?” Devin asked. Not that he expected an answer. He didn’t get one.

“It is vital that you collect the fragments of the sword,” Master Grey said. “Many are hidden in plain sight, some in more… dangerous places. You proved with the blade you made for the wedding that you can forge star metal.”

“Wonderful,” Sir Halfin said. “Traveling together to collect that stuff. It will be just like our trip to Clearwater Deep.”

“Except that this time, Rodry won’t be with us,” Sir Twell said, in a somber tone. “You say that all this is needed, wizard?”

Master Grey nodded. “If you had seen the things that I have seen, you would not have to ask.”

“But I do have to ask,” Sir Twell said. “Because you want to take two knights away in the middle of a war.”

“I would take more,” Master Grey said. “But there are those who would follow, if they knew what was happening. The two of you plus Devin is more discreet.”

The knight sighed at that, because it clearly hadn’t been what he meant. “And you’ve prepared for this properly?”

Master Grey gave him an odd look. “For longer than even you could understand, Planner. But if you mean in the more immediate sense… horses, supplies, weapons, and gold will be waiting for you below. All that even you could require.”

That seemed to make the knight, if not happy, then at least content.

Sir Halfin turned to Devin. “And what about you? Do you think that this is a good idea? Do you trust the king’s sorcerer?”

Devin wasn’t sure how to answer either of those questions. Master Grey was not a man who inspired trust, or gave answers, or even acted in any way that wasn’t down to his own unfathomable prophecies. He certainly didn’t think that this would be safe, or easy. Yet he’d seen things himself that he shouldn’t have been able to, he’d read part of Master Grey’s thoughts about a child born on the dragon moon being vital. If he was, didn’t he have a duty to act?

“I think that we have to do this,” Devin said. He held out his hand toward the others. “If this can help the kingdom, then we have to at least try. Will you help?”

Sir Halfin was the first to reach out, placing his hand over Devin’s. “I will. If we are not for this, what are Knights of the Spur for?”

Sir Twell took a moment longer, but then joined his hand with theirs. “Very well,” he said. “I swear it. I still have one question though: how will we find these fragments?”

“Devin will feel the star metal when he is close,” Master Grey said. “But further off…” He took out what looked like a map, laying it flat. It showed the kingdom, showed the fragments that he had pointed out, yet there was something else… at least one of them was moving.

“Magic,” Devin said, in awe. Even having seen all that Master Grey could do, such a thing still seemed filled with wonder.

“The map will track the fragments,” the magus said. “With it, you should be able to get close. I would guess that the one that is moving is one that is currently possessed by a merchant, who thinks of it as a trinket to sell.”

“Then we’ll get it back,” Devin promised. “And all the others.”

“Leave quickly,” Master Grey said. He put a hand on Devin’s shoulder. “There might not be much time left, for any of us.”

“I will,” Devin said, but then thought for a moment. “There’s just one thing I need to do first.”

***

When Devin approached Lenore’s rooms, his heart was in his mouth. He wasn’t sure if he would even be allowed to see her, let alone to speak with her, or… or what? Express everything he felt? Say it all even though she was a married woman now?

Devin didn’t know. Didn’t know what to say, or how far to go. He only knew that he had to do something. So he’d come to her rooms, and that was strange in itself. Shouldn’t she be in Finnal’s chambers now that she was his wife?

He was even more surprised when a completely different princess opened the door, a spear in her hand as if she might stab him.

“Who are you?” Princess Erin demanded. “What do you want?”

“It’s all right, Erin,” Lenore’s voice called from behind her. “It’s Devin, Rodry’s friend. Let him in.”

Princess Erin gave him another look as though expecting Devin to suddenly draw out a knife and attack, but she stepped back.

“I guess if you’re a friend of Rodry’s, it’s okay.”

Devin had never seen the interior of the rooms beyond, and for a moment the sight took him aback. Blue silk billowed at the windows of a sitting room area, while on one of the couches, Lenore sat reading, and a figure in a monk’s robes stood a little way away, apparently focusing on nothing. To Devin’s eyes Lenore was more beautiful than ever, the fine-boned fragility of her features filled with a new kind of determination after her kidnapping, her nearly black hair tied back now in a simple style that somehow suited her even more than all the efforts her maids had produced before, and her eyes… Devin felt as though he could stare at those eyes forever.

“Devin,” she said, holding out a hand to him. She drew him to sit beside her. “It’s good to see you. I didn’t think you’d come here.”

“Is it all right to come here?” Devin asked, with a frown. “I… wouldn’t want to cause trouble for you.”

He knew it wasn’t usual, a lowborn young man like him visiting a princess in her rooms. He didn’t want to do anything that would bring disapproval for Lenore.

“No, I’m glad you came,” Lenore said, and Devin’s heart leapt. “I… was hoping that you would, but I thought with everything you have to do for Master Grey, that you might not have time. That you’d forgotten about me.”

“I could never forget about you,” Devin said, and then realized what he’d said. “That is… I’ve just been very busy.”

“It must be strange, working for a sorcerer,” Lenore said. “The sword you forged was beautiful, by the way. I’m sure Rodry would have…”

She choked back the last word, and Devin nodded, because even though Rodry hadn’t been his brother, he still understood the pain of losing him. “Thank you,” he said, because if there was one person he wanted to appreciate something he’d made, it was Lenore. “Actually, that’s kind of why I’ve come. I… Master Grey is sending me off to do another job for him. I can’t say what, but I’ll have to be away at least for a while.”

Was that disappointment Devin saw in her eyes, or was he just imagining that she felt all that he did at the thought of not being able to see one another?

“That’s… a pity,” Lenore said. “It’s good having you around. I… I like having you here.”

“I like being here,” Devin said. “But I think I have to do this, and before I left, I wanted, well, to give you something.” He realized how that would sound. “I mean, because the wedding present I made ended up being more of a wedding present for your husband.”

“My husband, yes,” Lenore said, as if for a moment, she’d almost forgotten about Finnal.

Devin took his chance and took out a small fragment of star metal that had been left over from the forging. He’d worked on it, trying to build his skills with it, shaping it into a series of cage-like spheres that fit around one another, each moving freely inside the next. At its heart, he’d set a piece of colored glass, so that every movement of the spheres of star metal around it changed the way the light hit it.

“It isn’t much,” Devin said. “Certainly not compared to a sword, but—”

“It’s beautiful,” Lenore said, holding it in the palm of her hand. “I love it.”

And I love you, Devin wanted to say, but didn’t, couldn’t. Not to a princess; a married princess no less.

“I will keep it close as a reminder while you’re gone,” Lenore said. “I’ll treasure it.”

“That’s… I’m glad,” Devin said. Why was it so hard to find the words around her? “I should go. The others are waiting for me.”

He took Lenore’s hand briefly, trying to work out whether it would be appropriate to kiss it or not. Probably not. He stood and headed for the door.

“Devin,” Lenore called out before he got there. He turned back, hopeful. “I… I’ll miss you while you’re gone.”

“Thanks, I’ll miss you too,” he said, and then hurried from the room, cursing himself all the while for being unable to say the one thing that mattered.

Surely, whatever happened out there, trying to gain the fragments, it had to be easier than this?

CHAPTER SEVEN

Trapped in a tomb with a dragon just outside and the Hidden just beyond that, Renard had been in worse spots. He couldn’t actually think of what any of them were, but he was sure that he must have.

In theory, of course, he could make the whole thing simple: he could wait for the dragon to leave, then walk out to meet the Hidden. All he had to do then was hand over the amulet that even now siphoned his strength like a fine hole punched at the bottom of a reservoir.

He couldn’t do that, though. Instead, Renard was going to have to do this the hard way.

He checked carefully around the walls of the inner tomb, hoping there would be some hidden way out, some crack or tunnel that had not been there when the makers of this place had built it into the side of the volcano. A nice, convenient way out didn’t seem like too much to ask, did it?

Apparently, it was, which meant that either he walked out the way he’d come, or… or he went out through the opening above the main mausoleum space. Falling to his death versus being caught by the Hidden trying to cross them. Put like that, it was no choice at all.

Renard unlocked the golden doors to the tomb with his tools, hearing the click of it, feeling the sweat running down his brow at the thought of what might be just beyond. More scraping sounded, the dragon clawing to get in, and Renard kept perfectly still until the sound stopped. He left it another minute, then two.

He could sit here forever listening, but sooner or later, he would have to move. He did so, cracking open the door and looking out. The sky above was dimming, the light in the mausoleum less strong now. Renard didn’t dare shine his lantern, though, because that would certainly bring the attention of the beast. Instead, he crept out, seeing what he could by natural light.

There, across the cavernous enclosure, he could see the bulk of the creature. It was still, curled up almost catlike in sleep, its flank rising and falling slowly with its breaths. Renard kept his distance, suspecting that even the slightest sound might wake it.

In the dim light, he surveyed the internal walls of the tomb as best he could. The lower levels were rich with carvings and monuments; an easy climb for someone like him. Higher up though, the stonework seemed to give way to natural rock, and this looked like a far harder climb than the one outside had been.

It was either that or stay here until the dragon woke up, so Renard started to climb. He set off, using the statue of some forgotten warrior for a foothold, then launching himself up to catch an upper row of stonework. He swung his body up, twisting as he went, moving ever higher.

Renard gasped as the stone face of a grotesque form he was using for a handhold gave way, part of it starting to tumble down. His reflexes, at least, were still good, and his hand shot out to catch it, rather than let it clatter to the ground below. For a moment, Renard hung by one hand, his other holding a twisted stone face that seemed to find the whole thing very funny. He was glad one of them did.

Carefully, he searched with his feet, finding footholds that would support him. Just as precisely, he set the stone face down on a shelf of rock, where it could not fall and risk disturbing the dragon below.

He moved quicker now, knowing that even his grip would only last so long like this. He moved from hold to hold, reaching out, setting his hand or his foot in place, shifting his weight. He tried to map out his path to the space where greenery showed above, and his breath caught as he saw a problem.

There was a space where rock had fallen away, leaving no obvious handholds. If he’d had time in a space like that, it wouldn’t have been a problem, because Renard would have worked with hammers and spikes to make his own path. He’d done that once in the treasure vault of a merchant where to even touch the floor would have been to set off a truly elaborate array of traps. Now though, he didn’t know how much time he had until the dragon woke, and he couldn’t risk the sound of hammering into rock. That left only one thing: he would have to leap the gap to the next hold.

For a moment, Renard considered returning to ground level, exiting through the main tunnel, and just trying to sneak past the Hidden. Somehow, though, he doubted that would work. They would catch him, and then…

Yes, there were definitely worse things than falling.

He glanced down in that moment, and below him, he saw one of the dragon’s great, golden eyes open.

That spurred Renard to leap as nothing else could. He heard the dragon’s roar as he propelled himself upward, his body seeming to hang in space forever before his hands found a shelf of rock above. It was sharp edged, digging into his hands, but he didn’t care now, only cared about hauling himself up, out into the open air on the upper slopes of the volcano.

The dragon came soaring out of the hole behind him, powerful wings sending it up into the sky. It circled, and for a moment, Renard thought that it might turn and head straight for him. Instead though, something seemed to distract it, perhaps the sight of prey in the distance, perhaps something else. It wheeled and flew into the distance with rapid beats of its wings.

Renard lay on his back for long seconds, trying to get his breath back after the terror of the last few moments. He couldn’t stay like that long though, because he had no way of knowing when the beast might decide to come back for him. Worse, with it gone, the Hidden might think it was worth the risk to follow him into the mausoleum, might see that he was gone.

He forced himself to stand, if only because he needed all the head start that he could get when it came to enemies like that; and they were his enemies now. They’d become that the moment he’d defied them, the moment he hadn’t just walked out to them with the amulet.

They would probably have killed him anyway, of course. People like that were just the type to double-cross a thief. Was there no honor left in the world? Of course, by doing this, he put more than himself in danger. What might they do to Yselle, or the others back in Lord Carrick’s lands?

Renard just had to hope that they would be too busy hunting for him, and that seemed like a stupid thing for a man to hope. Still, he set off down the far slope of the volcano, heading for the farmland below, moving quickly now. He could feel the thin trickle of strength running out of him from the amulet, but it seemed that as long as he didn’t try to use it, it was only a trickle.

He kept going, and he was on the very lowest slopes when he looked back and saw three robed figures far above. It seemed that Void, Wrath, and Verdant had worked out what he’d done, which meant he needed to run.

He ran, plunging toward the fields, and around him, the landscape seemed to explode with danger. A tree twisted its branches toward him, and Renard barely stepped out of the way in time. A rock became razor-sharp fragments, forcing him to throw himself flat. He got up and kept running.

He leapt over a low stone wall and ran through the fields, darting this way and that, keeping low and hoping that the dark secrets that infused the Hidden only had a limited range. Looking back, he thought that the crops had obscured their view of him, but Renard knew better than to stop. He had enough experience of running away in his life to know that didn’t mean anything.

He kept going, and now he found a stream that was wide, and muddy, and probably waist deep. Beyond it, there was open ground with only a scattering of cover, trees and bushes. A man like Renard might be able to hide there, but for how long? There had to be a better way. Looking at the river, Renard thought that he could see one, but what if—

“We’ll find you!” Wrath roared somewhere behind him. “And then I’ll melt the eyes from your skull!”

His mind made up, Renard took a breath, plunged into the murky waters, and crouched at the bottom.

Instantly, the silty waters hid the world above from view except as faint shadows. The water was cold, rushing around him at speed, but Renard stayed where he was, not daring to move as three figures appeared on the banks above. Echoes of their voices filtered down to him.

“…way he went?” Wrath demanded, his angry red mask visible for all to see.

“We will find him,” Verdant said in that melodic voice she had. She called out. “Come out, Renard, dear. Come and play!”